In a country where women smoking in public is considered an act of rebellion against social control, this moment speaks volumes. ๐ฎ๐ท
Leave it to women to create symbolism that is both defiant and undeniably powerful. #FreeIran
Stevie Nicks said the one thing she'd change in her life was walking into the office of the doctor who prescribed Klonopin.
People assume psychiatric drug harm is fringe. Rare. Something that won't happen to them.
Then look at who it has happened to.
Stevie Nicks got on benzos while coming off cocaine. She told Time magazine that drug ruined her life for 8 years, right when she might have had a family.
Eddie Van Halen was put on Klonopin to help him stop drinking. He became dependent and went to rehab for a rapid detox. He told Esquire he was catatonic for about a year and spent most of 2008 watching television.
Jordan Peterson started Ativan for insomnia while his wife had cancer. He told Joe Rogan it took him 2 years to recover after coming off.
If you follow my work, you know rapid benzo detox is dangerous. It can cause a withdrawal injury that lasts for years.
These are some of the most famous, resourced, medically connected people in the world. They could see the best doctors. It still took them years.
Now imagine it happening to someone without money, fame or a team behind them.
If you're on a benzo, please don't stop suddenly or rush a detox. Come off slowly, with a prescriber.
Comment TAPER and I'll send you my free safe tapering guide.
Amazon just got caught running a secret price manipulation operation with Levi's, Home Depot, Walmart, and many more.
Every time you "comparison shopped" online, you were looking at prices that were already rigged.
Here's what happened:
Amazon would monitor prices on Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Chewy in real time. The second a competitor listed a product cheaper than Amazon, they'd contact the brand directly and tell them to "fix it."
And the exact emails are now PUBLIC.
Amazon sent Levi's links to two Walmart listings with the subject line "styles of concern." They basically said the prices on Walmart are too low and we have a problem.
The next day, Levi's responded: "I talked to Walmart and they have partnered with us to take Easy Khaki Classic fit back up to ladder SPP price, $29.99 immediately."
Levi's literally called Walmart and told them to raise the price. Because Amazon told Levi's to make the call.
Walmart complied. Then Amazon matched the HIGHER price.
Both retailers ended up charging more. The customer paid extra. Nobody competed.
Same playbook with Hanes:
Amazon sent them links showing Target and Walmart prices were lower. Hanes confirmed they "reached out to Target and Walmart to have the prices increased."
Target increased the prices. Walmart increased the prices. Amazon kept their margins.
But it gets even worse...
Amazon told Allergan (the company that makes eye drops) that their product was "suppressed" on Amazon because it was cheaper on another site.
Allergan responded: "Walmart got their price back up to $16.99." Amazon then unsuppressed the listing.
They did this with pet treats on Chewy. Furniture on Home Depot. Products across dozens of categories spanning YEARS.
The mechanism is simple but terrifying:
If you're a brand and you sell cheaper on Walmart than on Amazon, Amazon suppresses your product, removes you from the Buy Box, buries you in search results, and effectively makes you invisible to 300 million customers.
Brands can't afford that. So they call Walmart and Target and say "raise your prices or we'll lose our Amazon listings."
Walmart and Target comply because they need the brand's products.
Amazon captures 40 cents of every dollar spent online in America. That gives them the leverage to set prices across THE ENTIRE internet. Not just their own platform.
So turns out, you were never comparison shopping.
You were looking at a coordinated price floor set by Amazon through backroom phone calls between brands and their competitors.
"Amazon is working to make your life more unaffordable."
3 separate antitrust trials are now scheduled for 2027. The FTC has its own case. 18 states plus the DOJ are piling on.
This is literally happening during the WORST affordability crisis in a generation. Groceries up 25% since 2020. Housing unaffordable. Wages flat.
And the largest ecommerce company on Earth has been secretly coordinating with brands to make sure you can't find a cheaper price ANYWHERE.
"Competition" in retail is just a fantasy.